Snow falls in the Earth's extreme North and South throughout the year. However, the heaviest snowfalls have been reported in the mountains of other areas during winter. Snow is even known to fall near the Equator (赤道), but only on the highest mountains.

    Snow contains much less water than rain, but much of the water the world uses comes from snow. {#blank#}1{#/blank#} In the western United States, mountain snow provides up to seventy-five percent of all surface water supplies.

    Snowfall helps to protect plants and some wild animals from winter weather. Fresh snow is made largely of air trapped among the snow crystals (晶体). Because the air has trouble moving, the movement of heat is limited. {#blank#}2{#/blank#} The surface of the snow takes in, or absorbs, sound waves. As snow grows older or if there have been strong winds, it can become hard and flat. Then, the snow's surface will help to send back sound waves.

    {#blank#}3{#/blank#} It is responsible for the deaths of hundreds of people. Many people die in traffic accidents on roads covered with snow and ice or from being seriously stuck in the winter storm. {#blank#}4{#/blank#}.

    People may not be able to avoid living in areas where it snows often. However, they can avoid becoming victims of snowstorms. People should stop driving and stay at home until the storm has passed. People living in these areas should carry emergency supplies in their vehicle. {#blank#}5{#/blank#}

A. These include food, emergency medical supplies, and extra clothing to stay warm and dry.

B. Snow also influences the movement of sound waves.

C. Melting snow provides water for rivers, electric power stations and agricultural crops.

D. Mountain snowfall is heavier than that in the South and the North Poles.

E. In many places, streets were blocked; houses fell down and supplies were short.

F. Others die from heart attacks caused by too much physical activity out in the cold.

G. Snow may be beautiful, but it can be deadly.

    You know that you have everything to be thankful for：a loving family，a pretty good job，and a healthy working body．Still，you keep feeling that what you have just isn't enough．Sure，you can be happier by making some life changes．{#blank#}1{#/blank#} It will make you more likely to start enjoying that sunshine instead of complaining（抱怨）about sunburn．

    Live in the present．

    The people who are the happiest with their lives are able to enjoy and hug the present moment．{#blank#}2{#/blank#} Focus on what the day will bring you instead of what happened yesterday or what you'll be able to change about tomorrow. {#blank#}3{#/blank#}

    Though your life may not be perfect in the moment，there are surely some things that you can be very grateful for，whether it's your loving family，your amazing friends，your health，your cool new job，or your amazing home．You probably don't have all of these things but surely there are a few things you can remind yourself to be grateful for every single day．

    Stop comparing yourself to others．

    Stop thinking about how big your neighbor's house is，how great your friend Jack's job is，or how perfect your best friend's relationship is．You'll never get anywhere if you compare yourself to others．{#blank#}4{#/blank#}

    Hang out with people who are satisfied with their lives．

    Surround yourself with people who are good influences．They will show you that there are all kinds of ways to be happy，and will maybe even give you some tips for how to walk to difficult situations．{#blank#}5{#/blank#} They are more likely to come up with some reasons to be unhappy．

A．Be grateful for what you have．

B．What if there is a major obstacle (障碍）standing in your way?

C．Take some time to enjoy exactly what you're doing right now．

D．The easiest way to be satisfied with your life is to adjust yourself positively．

E．Avoid people looking for reasons to be upset with their life．

F．But if you drop comparing completely，you'll only be doing yourself a favor．

G．Get regular exercise with friends every day．

    Florence Nightingale was named after her birthplace, Florence. Italy. When she was almost a year old, she returned with her family to England.

    Florence often helped her mother deliver (运送) food to the poor and sick. {#blank#}1{#/blank#}Her family was shocked because nursing was not a respected profession (职业).

    But Florence was determined. She studied books on medicine. Later, she visited hospitals in France, Germany and Ireland and learned everything she could.{#blank#}2{#/blank#}

    In 1854, Britain was at war with Russia, Florence went to the British hospital in Scutari and she was shocked. The hospital left men lying on the floor, and rats were running everywhere.{#blank#}3{#/blank#} Many soldiers died before receiving help.

    The doctors wouldn't listen to Florence because they didn't like the idea of women in army hospitals – until one day 500 unexpected casualties (伤亡者) arrived.{#blank#}4{#/blank#}Florence made changes, making sure the men were washed and their injuries were cared for. Every night she would check the patients with her lamp.

    When she returned home after the war, a fund had been set up in her honor. Many of the soldiers she had nursed had made contributions (捐款). Now she could set up the Nightingale Training School in London.

    After years of hard work, Florence Nightingale saw cleaner and more cheerful hospitals.{#blank#}5{#/blank#}All of this was because of the “lady with the lamp”.

A. Nursing became an honored profession.

B. There was no running water and no heat.

C. She knew she had much to learn about nursing.

D. Florence saw the soldiers' health had improved.

E. As she grew older, she decided to become a nurse.

F. They soon realized that Florence could give a hand.

G. Upon returning home, she was an expert on hospital management.

    It's well-known by all the people to greet friends with a smile and a wave.{#blank#}1{#/blank#} However, what happens if your face and body send mixed messages? Would someone tend to believe the look on your face or the way you behave?

    Recently, scientists have dealt with these questions. They found that when a person is staring at your face, he might not believe what he sees if your body doesn't match the feeling that your face shows.{#blank#}2{#/blank#} Previous study had showed that the tone of a person's voice can be more important than the words spoken. For example, most people are more likely not to believe a person who says in a flat voice, “I'm so excited.”

    When talking about emotions conveyed by facial expressions and body language, most scientists suspected that the face was more important. To test if this was true, psychologists from the Netherlands and Boston showed people a number of pictures of isolated faces and isolated bodies that showed anger or fear.{#blank#}3{#/blank#}

    An angry face had low eyebrows and tight lips. A frightened face had high eyebrow and a slightly open mouth.{#blank#}4{#/blank#}A scared body had arms forward and shoulders square, as if ready to fight back.

These results told the researchers that mixed messages can confuse people. Even when people pay attention to the face, body language surely influences the emotion they read.

    {#blank#}5{#/blank#}And if you want to be understood it helps to avoid sending mixed messages.

A. Studying such mixed messages is nothing new for scientists.

B. So, your body language is important for telling people your feelings.

C. Scientists feel new to study the mixed message that puzzles people.

D. An angry body had arms back and shoulders at an angle, as if ready to fight.

E. Body language can sometimes be misunderstood in different culture backgrounds.

F. They also showed pictures where angry or scared faces were paired with angry or scared bodies.

G. When doing this, your face and body work together to show your friends that you are happy to see them.

    Staying focused (专注) can help you complete studying for a test or your work an hour early. There are various practical steps to help you focus better.

    {#blank#}1{#/blank#}Whether you're doing work in your office or studying at home, having a clean spacecan help you focus and get your work done with more attention. Remove what can attract you from your work or the task.

    Make a to-do list. If you list all the things to do, however small, you will feel more successful when you check those items off your list.{#blank#}2{#/blank#}

    Give yourself a certain time for each task. Managing your time goes hand in hand with your to do list. Write down how long it'll take you to finish each task on the list. For example, you could write: "Go over the notes: 30 minutes. Do the homework: 2 hours.{#blank#}3{#/blank#} "Then, try to complete each task within each given time.

    Make time for breaks during the day. You should take at least a 5-10 minute break for every hour of work, or a 3-5 minute break for every half an hour of work.{#blank#}4{#/blank#} Take breaks in a .place where you won't be troubled, so that you can relax your mind.{#blank#}5{#/blank#} Sometimes you can also look out of the window, take a short walk outside, or just walk up a few stairs. These short breaks will make you more energetic to return to your work.

A. Setting a goal will do good to you.

B. Organize your workspace.

C. It's not easy to get yourself better focused.

D. Prepare for the new lesson: 25 minutes.

E. You may regularly get up during your breaks.

F. This will also keep you focused on one task at a time.

G A break will prepare your mind for the next task ahead.

    Some people learn a second language easily. Other people have trouble learning a new language. How can you help yourself learn a new language, such as English? {#blank#}1{#/blank#}

    Be patient.

    You do not have to understand everything all at once. {#blank#}2{#/blank#} We can learn from our mistakes.

    Practice your English.

    For example, write in a journal every day. You will get used to writing in English, and you will feel comfortable expressing your ideas in English. After several weeks, you will see that your writing is improving.

    {#blank#}3{#/blank#}You can practice with your classmates outside class. You will all make mistakes, but gradually you will become comfortable communicating in English.

    {#blank#}4{#/blank#}

    If you believe that you can learn, you will learn.

    Keep a record of your language learning.

    After each class, think about what you did. Did you answer a question correctly? Did you understand something the teacher explained? Perhaps the lesson was difficult，but you tried to understand it.{#blank#}5{#/blank#}

    Be positive about learning English and believe that you can do it.

    It is important to practice every day and make a record of your achievements. You will enjoy learning English, and you will have more confidence in yourself.

A. Write these achievements(成就) in your journal.

B. Besides, you must speak English every day.

C. Making mistakes is an unavoidable part in your life.

D. There are several ways to make learning English a little easier and more interesting.

E. Share your achievement with your parents and friends.

F. Feel confident(有自信心的) about learning English.

G. It is natural for you to make mistakes when you learn something new.